Congratulations to the 2012 Collier Trophy recipients
Bob Brown
The Robert J. Collier Trophy is annually awarded by the National Aeronautic Association "for the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America, with respect to improving the performance, efficiency, and safety of air or space vehicles, the value of which has been thoroughly demonstrated by actual use during the preceding year."
The list of Collier winners represents a timeline of aviation, because many of the awardees' achievements mark major events in the history of flight.
The presentations and selection were competitive, representing entities such as Lockheed Martin, NASA, Gulfstream, the U.S. Air Force, and others.
This year I was included as a member of the Collier Selection Committee. It was an honor to sit with such an outstanding group of aviation and aerospace experts.
I want to congratulate the 2012 Collier Trophy winners, the NASA/Jet Propulsion Lab Mars Science Laboratory/Curiosity Project Team, for successfully landing the Curiosity on Mars.
Other nominees for the 2012 Collier Trophy were:
- The Lockheed Martin Cargo Unmanned Aerial Systems
- The NASA/Jet Propulsion Lab's Dawn Project team
- The Gulfstream G650
- The U.S. Air Force MC-12 Project Liberty team
- Felix Baumgartner and the Red Bull Stratos team
- The NASA/Jet Propulsion Lab Voyager Interstellar Mission Project team
AMA's Education department continues to produce great, innovative programs within the world of education. Its newest achievement includes our Mobile RC Experience.
The unit is a large trailer containing simulators and various forms of educational media. The trailer will be on the road at multiple sites and will be the focus of our activities at the Joe Nall gathering. If you see it, come on in!
In the past month, I have attended the Westchester Radio AeroModelers (WRAM) Show in New Jersey; the Southeastern Model Show in Perry, Georgia; and the Toledo R/C Expo in Toledo, Ohio. I want to extend a big thank you to those who helped the Academy make its presence successful. Without the positive efforts of a considerable number of people, these events would not be as enjoyable.
Please read Dave Mathewson's evaluation of the FAA and state issues revolving around model aviation.
AMA's expertise on these issues is recognized worldwide. FAI Aeromodelling Commission President Antonis Papadopoulos has asked AMA for its insight at the upcoming FAI Plenary meeting, because aeromodelers in other countries are beginning to experience similar problems.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
